What to Cook Now: Pomegranates

Recipes and tips for the season's best ingredients

I
t takes effort to eat to eat a pomegranate, but the rewards are great: In addition to providing a high level of antioxidants (said to help prevent heart disease and cancer), this fruit has jewel-like seeds that add a singular crunch and winey, sweet-sour tang to whatever dishes they grace. Since autumn is prime pomegranate season, we've dreamt up a variety of dishes, both sweet and savory, that show off this fabulous fruit.

tips:

Look for the Best

Choose pomegranates that are blemish-free, have vivid ruby-red skin, and are heavy for their size.

Seed Gently

To remove the seeds from a pomegranate, cut the fruit in half or quarters. Then submerse the fruit in a big bowl of water and gently loosen seeds with your fingers. Skim the surface to remove any membrane and then drain the remaining water and seeds through a wire mesh strainer.

Juice Carefully

In a pinch, you can juice pomegranates by pulsing the seeds briefly in a food processor and straining the liquid. (The red pods that encase the seeds contain the juice.) Or wrap a bunch of seeds in cheesecloth, squeeze the cloth over a bowl, and repeat until you have enough juice. (A large pomegranate yields 1/3 to 1/2 cup.)